It was a very busy week for Monroe County runners, as teams put on the finishing touches in preparation for districts on Oct. 18 and 20. Despite slow starts to the season and a mid-season swamping – compliments of Hurricane Ian – all three teams have been improving and look to peak just in time for post-season racing.
Marathon hosted a cross country race on Oct. 4 and experienced success on its home course. The Dolphins’ Vance Bursa won the event, crossing the line more than two minutes before second place finisher Colbin Hill of Key West. Coral Shores runner Robert Temkin came in third place, followed by Dolphins Jakub Bursa, Antonin Bursa and Dillon Shelar. Marathon won the boys race with an average time of 19:16, putting it in a solid position for district competition later this month. Coral Shores narrowly edged out Key West for second place, with just one second dividing the two teams’ average times and a one-point difference in their final scores.
The girls race was a bit closer than the boys, with Marathon’s Mikkel Ross outkicking Key West’s Caylaa Makimaa for a six-second margin of victory. Coral Shores runner Kai Guth was a mere tenth of a second behind Makimaa for a third-place finish. Marathon won the girls race with an overall average time of 24:15, followed by Key West in second and Coral Shores in third place.
On Oct. 7, Coral Shores and Marathon’s middle school girls traveled to Larry & Penny Thompson Park to run at the 305 Classic. Dolphin girls coach Darby Sheehan was very excited to bring most of her girls to compete in a designated middle school division. Well over half of the Lady Fins are in middle school, and the six Sheehan brought to the 305 Classic made it undeniable that Marathon’s cross country prowess is not going away anytime soon, cruising to a team win at the event.
The girls ran the middle school distance of 2.1 miles, and when the results were in, Marathon took four of the race’s top 10 places. Marathon’s Madelyn Thornton won the entire event in 14:37, averaging less than seven minutes per mile. Dolphins Sara Robinson, Maeve Merryman and Rebecca Merryman took third, seventh and 10th place, respectively, with Rilynn Richards and Ryleigh Garcia rounding out Marathon’s finishers.
Sheehan was delighted not only with her team’s performance, but with the opportunity to compete against their age-appropriate peers. “They have run all season in only varsity high school meets and have been biting at the heels of older girls and teams,” she said. “These girls are definitely ones to keep an eye on as they transition into high school. They are going to do big things!”
On the varsity side of the 305 Classic, the Hurricanes went the full 5K distance and posted some great results. Simon Gutierrez was the top finisher for the ’Canes, running 18:51 and capturing 15th overall in his race. Robert Temkin and Alaric Rodriguez rounded out the top three for Coral Shores. The first Lady Cane to cross the line was Kai Guth in 24:28, followed by Jenna Mandozzi and Kacelyn Hollis.
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RESULTS – MARATHON HOME MEET, OCT. 4
BOYS
| Place | Runner | School | Time |
| 1 | Vaclav Bursa | MHS | 16:20.0 |
| 2 | Colbin Hill | KW | 18:21.0 |
| 3 | Robert Temkin | CS | 19:08.0 |
| 4 | Jakub Bursa | MHS | 19:38.0 |
| 5 | Antonin Bursa | MHS | 19:39.0 |
| 6 | Dillon Shelar | MHS | 19:40.0 |
| 7 | Jerven Louis | KW | 20:23.0 |
| 8 | Alaric Rodriguez | CS | 20:34.0 |
| 9 | Jace Jackson | CS | 20:52.0 |
| 10 | Daniel Roy | KW | 20:57.0 |
| 11 | Mason Buxton | MHS | 21:06.0 |
| 12 | Jamie Cary | CS | 22:23.0 |
| 13 | Reed Benning | KW | 23:06.0 |
| 14 | Nathan Shugarman | CS | 23:13.0 |
| 15 | Owen Fisher | KW | 23:18.0 |
| 16 | Dale Bittner | KW | 23:54.0 |
| 17 | Aaron Suprynowicz | KW | 24:27.0 |
| 18 | Allan Taylor | MHS | 24:48.0 |
| 19 | Lochlain James | CS | 24:53.0 |
| 20 | Danny Merryman | MHS | 25:33.0 |
| 21 | Ambrose Sanchez | CS | 26:24.0 |
| 22 | Kellan Bourbeau | CS | 27:21.0 |
| 23 | Enzo Blaco | CS | 30:14.0 |
GIRLS
| Place | Runner | School | Time |
| 1 | Mikkel Ross | MHS | 22:44.0 |
| 2 | Caylaa Makimaa | KW | 22:50.0 |
| 3 | Kai Guth | CS | 22:50.1 |
| 4 | Ella Dunn | MHS | 23:48.0 |
| 5 | Laira Anaya | KW | 23:57.0 |
| 6 | Rain Banks | MHS | 24:21.0 |
| 7 | Sara Robinson | MHS | 25:10.0 |
| 8 | Ava Merryman | MHS | 25:14.0 |
| 9 | Ailee Briggs | MHS | 25:18.0 |
| 10 | Maeve Merryman | MHS | 25:20.0 |
| 11 | Naima Thomas | KW | 25:50.0 |
| 12 | Rebecca Merryman | MHS | 26:50.0 |
| 13 | Shilo Yeider | MHS | 27:21.0 |
| 14 | Gianna Marchant | MHS | 27:36.0 |
| 15 | Jenna Mandozzi | CS | 28:57.0 |
| 16 | Nicole Merryman | MHS | 30:35.0 |
| 17 | Tinashay Cunningham | MHS | 30:38.0 |
| 18 | Valeria Juarez | KW | 31:25.0 |
| 19 | Kacelyn Hollis | CS | 31:59.0 |
| 20 | Cami Wrinn | MHS | 33:11.0 |
| 21 | Deanna Gumarova-Mercier | KW | 34:11.0 |
| 22 | Jessie Lidell | CS | 36:34.0 |
| 23 | Briana Nodal | KW | 38:18.0 |
| 24 | Zoe Basham | KW | 41:37.0 |
| 25 | Olivia Wilson | CS | 50:39.0 |
